Monday, September 04, 2006
"Harvard: Prof Did Not 'Intentionally' Suppress Fluoride-Cancer Study"
The panel's announcement came in the form of a four-paragraph statement. The panel's report, like the proceeding that produced it, is secret and not available to the public.
The data in question, which have since been published in a peer-reviewed journal by four Harvard professors and PhDs, strongly rebut Douglass's position and reveal a highly significant relationship between bone cancer in boys and fluoride in tap water.
"This excuse is so tortured, you can see why it took a bunch of Harvard professors a year to concoct it. Are we to believe that Dr. Douglass somehow forgot about the results of research that he signed-off on, that completely contradicted what he'd told taxpayers and public officials about bone cancer in boys and drinking fluoridated water?" said Richard Wiles, Senior Vice President of EWG.
"Whether or not Dr. Douglass intentionally suppressed and misrepresented these data is irrelevant," said Wiles. "He deceived the public and health officials about critical research findings for years, and hundreds of boys suffered the consequences."
The Harvard panel also brushed aside a clear conflict on interest stemming from the fact that Douglass is a paid consultant for the toothpaste industry, a major user of fluoride. "It is a sad day for Harvard when such a blatant financial conflict of interest is acceptable, particularly when the health of children is at stake," said Wiles.
